Compelling Narratives for Complex Decisions: Policy Analyst Fundamentals
Develop your skills as a policy analyst as you learn the techniques to write compelling narratives that support decision-making.
Duration
3 weeksWeekly study
3 hours
Compelling Narratives for Complex Decisions: Policy Analyst Fundamentals
The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies. Find out more.
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Build your reputation in public policy as you learn to give quality advice
Quality advice is advice that supports ministers and/or senior leaders to make a decision. For policy analysts, providing quality advice is the most important part of the role.
On this three-week course, you’ll learn how to provide quality advice, every time. You’ll improve your writing skills as you discover how to write a compelling narrative that clearly supports your senior leaders to make a decision.
With this ability, you can build a reputation for writing powerful papers for decision-making.
Discover the process for creating an effective narrative structure
You’ll delve into the five-step narrative process and learn how to use the components of an effective narrative in your writing.
With this knowledge, you’ll explore the importance of these techniques in aiding better decision-making.
Explore signposting words and other language techniques
Using your knowledge of narrative structure, you’ll learn how to apply your narrative to a paper template to support a decision.
Next, you’ll learn how to use the right language, style, and tone for your audience. You’ll also explore techniques such as signposting words to help ensure your audience receives the intended message.
Unpack the importance of narrative for decision-making in government policy
We live in a world where we’re faced with increasingly complex challenges to solve in increasingly short timeframes. This means that the need to make great decisions is more crucial than ever.
As a policy analyst, and with the help of this course, you can have a direct impact on the quality of decisions, and the speed at which they are made, by learning how to create a compelling narrative for the purpose of a decision.
Syllabus
Week 1
Narrative fundamentals
Introduction
Welcome to the course.
What is a narrative?
Let's explore what we mean when we talk about a narrative.
The shape of a narrative
Every narrative follows a path - a narrative arc – the shape of which helps the reader understand the story.
Two important considerations
There are two final things to consider before we get started on the narrative process: the audience and the final product.
Wrapping up the week
Congratulations on completing Week One.
Week 2
The five-step narrative process
Welcome to Week Two
Welcome to Week Two. This week introduces the five-step narrative process and takes you through steps one to three. Enjoy!
The narrative process
Introducing the five-step narrative process.
Step one
Step one is to get your story straight.
Step two
Step two is to draft a comprehensive summary parargraph
Step three
Step three is to expand your summary into subheadings.
Wrapping up the week
Congratulations on completing Week Two.
Week 3
Bringing it all together to write a paper
Welcome to Week Three
Welcome to Week Three. This is your final week. This week looks at the last two steps of the five-step narrative process and explores how to write well focusing on active voice, the use of jargon, and simplifying your language.
Step four
Step four is to substantiate a point.
Styling the substance
Let's now move on to talk about signposting words, language, tone and style.
Step five
Step five is applying to your template.
Wrapping up the course
Congratulations on completing your Narrative for Better Decisions course!
Who is this accredited by?
The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Demonstrate an understanding of how to curate a narrative for the purpose of supporting a decision
- Explain the five-step narrative process as it applies to creating advice for senior decision makers
- Apply the essential elements of a narrative to a standard paper template
- Present advice that uses the right tone, language, and style to engage senior decision makers
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for policy analysts with between one and four years’ experience in government policy who want to develop their writing skills.
It will also be useful for anyone who communicates with the intention to influence.
Who will you learn with?
I have over 25 years experience working in senior strategic and operational roles across New Zealand’s central government to improve results from the front line to parliament.
Who developed the course?
FrankCapability
To support better decisions, faster, you need go-to decision-making frameworks that work every time. FranCapability provides the frameworks so you can quickly create the advice.
What's included?
This is a premium course. These courses are designed for professionals from specific industries looking to learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.
- Unlimited access to this course
- Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes
- Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you're eligible
- Download and print your Certificate of Achievement anytime
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